AU sends delegation to Eritrea amid Djibouti border tensions

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The African Union says it will send a delegation to Eritrea as tensions grow between that country and neighboring Djibouti after the abrupt withdrawal of Qatar peacekeeping troops from a disputed border area.

AU chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat on Tuesday called for calm and said he already sent a delegation to Djibouti, which has accused Eritrean troops of quickly occupying the disputed Dumeira mountain area.

Qatar mediated a territorial dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea and its peacekeepers were deployed after a 2010 cease-fire deal, but the Gulf nation is now caught up in its own diplomatic clash with other Arab countries.

Qatar pulled its 450 peacekeepers following Eritrea's decision to align itself with the Saudi-led boycott against Doha. Eritrea has said it was not informed why Qatar made the decision.